The Ableton Q&A Thread

[hurlingdervish]

Now... this is all working nice but I've only got 4 pages worth of pads (so 4 scenes per page x 4 pages comes to 16)... considering I'm using about 6 or 7 scenes per tune... I need to find a way to change the mappings once I reach scene 16... erm? how?

if you are only switching sets of drum pads the guys at ableton forums have mentioned something where you hit a midi command shifting up the midi input 16 steps giving you control over the whole drum rack without a mouse

i would ask them, seriously. they will know

[lazermouse]

Question... I'm thinking about buying Live 8 (not Suite). Downloaded the fully functional demo yesterday. What's up with the empty folders in the Instrument Rack? Such as Synth Brass and some others... Are they missing from Live 8 or is this just a demo "feature"?

[86.]

Question... I'm thinking about buying Live 8 (not Suite). Downloaded the fully functional demo yesterday. What's up with the empty folders in the Instrument Rack? Such as Synth Brass and some others... Are they missing from Live 8 or is this just a demo "feature"?

demo feature I'd assume

[86.]

interesting in knowing more about how yall write in session mode.

do you do EVERYTHING in session view and mix down after you've recorded the entire tune?


and I can't get the dummy clips going. .

[thomas edison]

i mostly build the main loop in session, dont know why really

then drag and drop into arrangement and start building, and never use dummy clips so cant help you with that


(and i just realised i get way more done when working in arrangement only due to recordable automation)

[ianks]

the only thing i do prefer in fruity is the midi editor, its just huge.

[psylent]

How do I open Fruity Loops on Windows XP?

[86.]

How do I open Fruity Loops on Windows XP?

really? did you just get it or something?

go into start menu...programs > image-line > Fl studio (whichever version)

[Bazzle09]

How do I open Fruity Loops on Windows XP?

[silkpantsman]

How can i change the midi notes assigned to impulse slots??

[hurlingdervish]

How can i change the midi notes assigned to impulse slots??

you can't but you can use the midi effects to alter the incoming midi notes to match that of impulse...theres a preset for it too.

interesting in knowing more about how yall write in session mode.

do you do EVERYTHING in session view and mix down after you've recorded the entire tune?


and I can't get the dummy clips going. .

Session is the best for jamming out and figuring what goes where...but then you got to start arranging it. Tame them both and you will be rewarded.

dummy clips will be easier to understand if you understand how the clip automation works. the automation is independent of normal automation meaning
if you automated a filter sweep in the clip view its 0 to 100 percent (or -50% to +50% depending on which knob you choose) of where the knob is actually at...

meaning

you can sweep a knob that is sweeping on its own because of the clip automation... i know.
think of it as like a custom LFO but you can still tweak the cutoff because the LFO and cutoff react to eactother
watch this video on clip automation
http://vimeo.com/5962875

it will blow your mind.

twice.

then read up on dummy clips again...and they will make more sense

how deep does the rabbit hole go?

pretty fucking deep.

[nowaysj]

That video is the shit.

And again not to poop on the abelton parade, all this is doable in flstudio, in my estimation. Not that diminishes live in any way.

[nowaysj]

This is a response to someone's q, and someone quote me on this, as my account is likely to be deleted again, but if you're zoomed in and you want to see the whole clip, ctrl a and then double click in the time line thing, with the 2.3.3 shit. If someone knows a better way please post it.

And quote this too- abeltons zoomability is shit, straight antique shit.

[nowaysj]

Oh and a general q - seems like every volume control in abelton isn't velocity sensitive. Is there a way to just make every volume control velocity sensitive by default? Like holy cow, every freaking sample or instrument in a tower of a drum rack has to be manually gone through and turned the velocity to volume up. Like many many extra finagles to do that which should be by default???

[hurlingdervish]

you can make a default... but i forget how ...something like taking simpler and saving it in a folder called "slicing presets" or something

but otherwise you don't have to do it manually

in drum rack set the velocity and go "copy value to siblings" and it will send that velocity setting to everything else in the drum rack

works with every other parameter too in case you want to add release times that are the same to all of them

[symmetricalsounds]

interesting in knowing more about how yall write in session mode.

do you do EVERYTHING in session view and mix down after you've recorded the entire tune?
( .

personally i will do 80/90% of the track in clips view then when i have a rough idea of the structure i will record to the arrange page then do the final sweep and tune-up.

also this may be useful for some people http://www.rhythminmind.net/presetblog/ ... udio-rack/

[hurlingdervish]

all this is doable in flstudio, in my estimation. Not that diminishes live in any way.

and......this is an ableton thread that comment is worthless albeit true

This is a response to someone's q, and someone quote me on this, as my account is likely to be deleted again, but if you're zoomed in and you want to see the whole clip, ctrl a and then double click in the time line thing, with the 2.3.3 shit. If someone knows a better way please post it.

And quote this too- abeltons zoomability is shit, straight antique shit.

do you not know how to scrub zoom?

its the best zooming feature i have ever used out of any program...you grab the preview bar and drag it in different directions

[nowaysj]

Thanks for the velo advice, will look into this pronto.

I don't want to use my mouse to zoom, or if I do I want to use the scroll wheel, I just don't want to leave what I'm doing to change the zoom. Other apps like reason and flstudio have this down easy. There's two things that should just be completely easy and effortless in any application, zooming and scrolling. Browzers and other docs have a little scroll bar on the right side, right? And you can move your focus every time, and go click on a little 10px wide area to grab a scroll bar and move it around, and then shift your focus, then then repeat that cycle. But once you get a scroll wheel, all that tomfoolery is unnecessary - U can maintain your focus, and move to other parts of the document or application without ever shifting your focus.

I don't even notice I'm scrolling anymore in a browser, it just happens, I think down and the page goes down. This is not the case with abelton, you gotta go mouse into that little area and click and drag and blah blah blah. I think much of these ui problems come from the anachronistic mac mentality of the superiority of the one button mouse.

Re the flstudio comments - it is useful to new producers who are trying to figure out what tools they need to make sounds. Its not like you can only use abelton with those techniques to produce those sounds or rhythms.

[hurlingdervish]

scrub zoom is the shiznit

mostly because its more than just zooming, you move through out the whole screen with it

i dunno what to say cept quit yer complaining!

i personally cant stand reason's zoom, i like zooming with the mouse so having to click zoom on x and zoom on y separately is a bitch compared to scrubbing

[86.]

i don't see anything wrong with ableton's zoom. and I barely use the mouse anymore....simply press + or - keys for that.

it is a bit strange to not be able to use the wheel. but still....+ and -

what would make it better is if after press + or - ....using the arrow keys can help you shit over or whatever.